Box Score

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Florida A&M picked up its first MEAC win of the season as the Rattlers downed the Norfolk State men's tennis team, 6-1, Monday afternoon at the Centre Court Racquet Club. The match was moved from its original location of the NSU Tennis Courts due to rain.

Freshman Daniel Grauel gave the Spartans their only point of the day with a win at the No. 5 singles position, a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Fabrice Myrtil. The loss dropped NSU to 4-7 overall, 1-1 in the MEAC, while FAMU improved to 8-6 overall, 1-0 in conference play.

The Spartans also picked up a good win at the No. 1 doubles slot, as seniors Arsenio Culver and Ben Marks downed the top duo from Florida A&M, Levan Clark and C. Salif Kante, by a 9-7 score. NSU nearly won the doubles point with a victory at the No. 3 doubles position, but freshmen Igor Braga and Shaheed Mourillon-Swift ultimately came up short in an 8-6 loss to Myrtil and Temuera Asafu-Adjave.

At the second doubles spot, senior Christian Romanzini and sophomore Kent Austin dropped an 8-2 decision to Takura Happy and Chidi Gabriel.

In singles play, Culver had a good start against Kante at the top of the lineup, downing his Rattler opponent, 6-4, in the first set. Kante, though, took control after that, defeating Culver in the next two sets, 6-2, 6-3

At the third singles position, meanwhile, Happy had to go into the tiebreaker to down Braga in the first set, winning by a 7-6 score following a 7-4 victory in the tiebreaker. Happy then made quick work of Braga in the second set, 6-1.

Also on Monday, Marks dropped his No. 2 match to Clark, 6-2, 6-3, while Gabriel handed Romanzini a 6-2, 6-2, defeat at the No. 4 spot. Senior Roosevelt Cooper lost at No. 6 singles, 6-2, 6-0, to Asafu-Adjave.

The Spartans will head to Longwood Wednesday at 1 p.m. for a make-up match from earlier in the season.